Bartholomew.exe

About

Bartholomew.exe is a single player action game. It was developed by BrickLayer Studios and was released on July 22, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Bartholomew.exe is a tense nightmare maze where reality shifts between chase and hunted. In the Dream State, you pursue the monstrous Bartholomew with a revolver, while in the Nightmare State, you’re disarmed and must rely on traps to survive. Collect coins to upgrade your weapons and traps as you race to control the dream and escape the relentless nightmare.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 27 reviews

graphics3 negative mentions

The game excels at building suspense and creating a thrilling atmosphere, making it a fun short horror experience.
The combat mechanics, including the ability to switch states and use traps, add an interesting layer to the gameplay.
It's a free-to-play game that offers a unique and engaging experience, especially for fans of horror and chase mechanics.

The game is very short, with some players finishing it in just a few minutes, which may leave some wanting more content.
Gameplay can become repetitive due to limited weapon options and a lack of clear objectives, leading to frustration.
Technical issues, such as driver errors and poor audio quality, detract from the overall experience and enjoyment of the game.

atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The atmosphere of the game is well-aligned with its visuals and overall concept, creating an intriguing experience reminiscent of a black metal album cover. However, this captivating ambiance is undermined by repetitive gameplay, leading to mixed feelings among players. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for its quality, though it may not be enough to sustain engagement.
- “The atmosphere matches the visuals and the entire concept of the game, and is perfectly crafted.”
- “Short, sweet, and creates a great atmosphere!”
- “The atmosphere matches the visuals and the overall concept of the game, and is perfectly considered.”
- “An intriguing first-person maze and an interesting black metal album cover-esque atmosphere is quickly ruined by incredibly monotonous gameplay.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report encountering issues with graphics upon startup, specifically an error message prompting them to install a recommended driver version or switch rendering APIs due to known problems with the installed AMD graphics driver in Direct3D 11. This suggests potential compatibility issues that may affect the overall visual experience of the game.
- “Upon startup, this game gives me an error to 'install the recommended driver version or switch to a different rendering API' because 'the installed version of the AMD graphics driver has known issues in D3D11'... what?”
- “The graphics look outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games.”
- “Textures are low resolution and appear blurry, making the game visually unappealing.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The gameplay features intriguing first-person mazes and a unique atmospheric design, but it suffers from monotony and ineffective monster trapping mechanics, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “The mechanic of trapping the monster feels almost useless, as there is no guarantee it will actually be trapped.”
- “Intriguing first-person mazes and an interesting black metal album cover-esque atmosphere are quickly ruined by incredibly monotonous gameplay.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game has been criticized for its poor quality, with users describing it as a jarring mix of unpleasant sounds reminiscent of low-quality MIDI instruments and generic rock elements. Overall, the soundtrack fails to create an engaging or enjoyable atmosphere.
- “The title screen greets me with rather dreadful music... it sounds like MIDI trumpet farts, a Linkin Park starter pack, and stock guttural sounds all thrown in the proverbial FL Studio blender.”